Threats

Nibbles: Caucasus, Disease, Pork, Nepali genebank, Rare Breeds, Climate

All hail the garden of agrobiodiversity that is the Southern Caucasus, says FAO.
Paywalled Nature paper links biodiversity with disease spread — even in agriculture. Get it here.
Roman pig yields the secrets of tasty pork — in about another 2000 years.
Nepal’s genebank goes from strength to strength.
Rare Breeds Survival Trust gets lifetime achievement award. Good to gnaw.
“It’s high time the ancestral knowledge possessed by small farmers and indigenous people was appreciated at its true value.” Climate change edition.

Online map of horticultural projects. Mash it up with the CGIAR map, anyone?
Evolution and taxonomy of crop groups: Annonaceae and Allium.
Dealing with wheat stripe in Central Asia and the Caucasus. Some good news there.
Nigel Chaffey does his usual thing. Inimitable.
Today’s thing on what Africa needs for this Greener or Double Green or whatever Revolution everyone wants it to have.
Latest from FAO on what’s happening in livestock genetic resources conservation around the world.
And the latest wonder food. I’ll pass, thanks.
Improving capers through radiation. One of those things where you have to wonder whether it’s really all worth it.
The genetic diversity of the Polish common hamster. Wait, what?
Biofortified crops to the rescue. Again. Gotta wonder about overexposure. The backlash, when it inevitably comes, is going to be a doozy.

Legal niceties may help save Pavlovsk Experiment Station …
… which says its cherries are doing just fine, thank you. Jeremy hard at work.
Ecosystem Services and Food Security. One for later.
Kew’s Garden Photographer competition closes soon. Surprise everyone, submit something edible.
Satoyama Initiative explained.
On top of everything else, climate change may lead to higher toxin levels in crops.
Latest on the restructuring of Australia’s genebanks.